Parent’s Voice

Here at Padnell we strongly believe that your views count!  We encourage you to take an active part in your child’s education and get involved in school life as much as your individual personal circumstances allow.

We regularly ask you for feedback in the form of questionnaires or you can email the school office, call to arrange an appointment or Mrs Grayson makes herself available on the school playground before and after school.

Whatever your views, whether offering a suggestion as to how we can improve, expressing your appreciation regarding a situation or airing a complaint we want to hear from you.  By sharing this honest and open communication we can work together to ensure we provide the very best for your child. 

Here are some of the comments we have received from our Parents/Carers:

Thank you sincerely.  Words will never be enough to express our gratitude for absolutely everything you have done for our son and our family.  We are so thankful for you all and will miss you very much.

It has been a huge pleasure for me to watch my child “grow” and flourish in your school and I honestly don’t think either of us would have got as much out of any other school she may have attended.  Thank you doesn’t seem like enough.

We will never be able to thank you enough for your support and efforts.  Leaving Padnell feels like leaving family. Thank you for nurturing my child, you really are all just incredible.

Thank you for welcoming my child into Padnell this year.  We still feel very lucky and grateful to be part of this lovely school. 

We cannot thank you enough for all your help and support.  Your perseverance, time, understanding and dedication are greatly appreciated. 

Thank you for giving our child the best start to her school life.  You have helped her love to learn and start her journey through education.

Our daughter is becoming a beautiful young lady and this is down to Padnell supporting her in all aspects of life.  As parents, we couldn’t wish for more.

 

Thank you for being amazing.  Our Padnell journey has just been the absolute best.  I am so sad to be leaving “the purple school” 

Just a note to thank you all for the hard work and effort you have put into the children throughout their time at Padnell.  Our child has thrived at Padnell and has had the best start to her schooling, despite the difficulties we all faced.

Our pride in Padnell and being members of such an amazing community knows no bounds.  We will miss you all.  Thank you for everything.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our child’s time here at Padnell.  We have been so impressed by the level of teaching and support given to us and really couldn’t ask for more. 

We have been very impressed with the school over the past 7 years as all three of our children attended.  The teaching standard has been amazing and my children have been really happy.  The school is led by an amazing, inspirational Headteacher who we feel has provided the children with many great experiences.

A wonderful and supportive school that encourages wits children to become independent and resilient learners. Thank you.

We can’t thank Padnell Infant School enough for all the guidance and support to help our child “GROW”.  Even when it hasn’t been the easiest of years.  Our child has enjoyed every minute of school and you have provided the greatest of foundations for life.

Both my husband and I are hugely impressed by the improvements in Padnell.  The entire ethos is consistent, well thought out and executed to the highest level.

Wow!  What an amazing school and teachers.  Just a perfect fit for my unique character.  The words “thank you” don’t seem enough.

Comments from Parents during Covid-19

Thank you for keeping us up to date with the situation, I’m so pleased my daughter attends a great school with hardworking staff and a sensible, strong and calm headteacher. 

Thank you all so much for all your support since our child came to you in Reception.  We have watched him grow and learn.  His love of learning has grown with him and we are very grateful to all of you for that.  Thank you for such a great start to his education and future.

We wanted to end our personal thank you to you, the governors and all the amazing staff that work so hard to make Padnell Infants the amazing and special place it is today.

As parents whose child was allocated a place at Padnell, and did not place it down as a choice when applying, we cannot express how happy we now are that happened!  The school feels so welcoming, positive and given back the sense of community.  We could not be prouder of the journey and progress our daughter has been on and made.  Everyone has brought out the best in so many children, treating them all as individuals, allowing them, and giving them opportunities to learn in their own way.

I just wanted to send a little note to say thank you!  I love how amazing and compassionately you and all your staff are handling this lockdown.  I have said it to people so many times but right now I feel beyond blessed that our boys get to attend Padnell Infants!

We wanted to say a great big thank you to each and every member of staff for all you have done since our children started in September.  Even more so for the support and communication during the craziness of 2020. 

I just want to say thank you so much for everything you have done throughout this crazy time.  We have felt so supported throughout the lockdown and it’s so nice to know that you all care about us and our children’s welfare first.

It has been brilliant with no pressure and the alerts from Marvellous Me has been helping a lot. Feel very supported by the school so massive thank you to you and your team. Tasks have been fun and our child has been enjoying them.

The attitude of the school in general, including Headteacher and class teachers, has been excellent, allowing a balance to be struck between children’s mental health and happiness and the ability to enable learning at home around the schools GROW messaging.

The support from you all at such a challenging time has been incredible. We are so lucky to be part of the Padnell family and can't thank you enough for your kindness and understanding at such a scary time. A big thank you to you all.

FUDGE Day
Lovely to be able to share interests with the children and see them engaged with lots of different activities.

Fun day with the children asking lots of great questions.

I’ve had lots of fun playing with my daughter and meeting all her lovely friends and the helpful teachers.

Another great day seeing the children enjoy playing with my car!  Good questions.

As always, a great day seeing the kids enjoy so many activities.  Thank you for having me.

Mrs Edwards was born to teach… inspiring day, obvious the staff are doing a great job.  Children were inspiring and a delight!

Very friendly staff, really enjoyed mixing with all the children.

Excellent day spent with very polite children.  Was very rewarding to spend time with them all.

Great day.  The Dogs have enjoyed it as much as the children.

What an excellent day!  I enjoyed watching the children come up with designs to protect their eggs.  Thank you for letting me come into school and helping with the task.  I will certainly GROW!

Thank you for a great day, it was great to see the children enjoy themselves.  I had lots of fun teaching some of the children some boxing.  Thank you.

A fantastic experience once again seeing how the children learn and play at school.  It’s great to see the care and attention that all of the teachers put into helping our children GROW.  It’s a lovely idea to give us an opportunity to share our passions and lives with the kids to help to encourage them in their learning.  I’m sad that this is my last one, but FUDGE day has been a highlight of my year for the last 3 years!  Thanks.

What an amazing school, and a wonderful day full of energy.

Fabulous day. Every dad or grandad should spend a day at School for FUDGE day.  Great fun and rewarding.

Fifth year of FUDGE day, enjoyed every year.  Working and playing with the children.

What an experience, it’s a delight to help.

Another great day full of interest for me and hopefully everyone else.

I think it was a brilliant experience looking into the kids day at school and really enjoy being part of the day.

Great day to be able to see my daughter in her element at school.  Very inclusive playing and interacting with lots of children in and out of her class.

The school should be very proud of what they offer the children and parents – Thanks.

Excellent morning.  The children were attentive and interested in the visitors.

Great experience for both adults and kids.

It was a wonderful time seeing fantastic learning happening in the classroom.  All the children were very well behaved and polite.

I have been to all three FUDGE days, I love getting to know my daughter’s friends and being involved with all they want to show me in the school.  Going to miss them!

A most enjoyable time spent with the children as with all things “Padnell” it was well organised and interactive.

Amazing time!  Great to have time and see what an awesome school my son goes to.

Great day for both adults and kids.  Fun was had by all.

Comments from Parents
The quality of teaching is improving each year and this is showing in how well the children are performing.  

Thank you to the Padnell team for making our experience so enjoyable.  Thank you for all the hard work.  Thank you for all the events, shows, open schools, parents meetings.  Our child has gone to school with a smile on her face every day! 

Our child has experienced an exciting, wide range of activities in year 2, which she has loved!  Thank you for guiding her to make good choices in all areas of her development. 

All staff have been very supportive and enthusiastic during our child’s time at Padnell.  Our child uses and will continue to take on board the GROW values she has been working towards for the past 3 years.

Our child has really enjoyed their time at Padnell and is very sad to be leaving. Thank you so much to their teachers for all the help and support and to all the other class helpers. 

Padnell Infants have given our child the best start to her education.  She has loved every minute of it and we are over the moon with the progress she has made.  She loves how much time they play/learn outdoors and all the other trips/activities that she has taken part in.  Thank you for helping our child GROW.

It has been wonderful to see our child grow in confidence this year in all areas: his learning but also talking to adults, performing a solo in front of his class and generally becoming a lovely young man all of which Padnell has played a key role in!  Thank you.

Thank you for being so kind and caring towards our daughter.  You have given her the best start to her education.

We have been so lucky to have such wonderful caring teachers from start to finish.  Year 2 has certainly been the developing journey our child has needed and we thank all those who have played a part in this.

Two of my children have now gone all the way through Padnell Infants and it saddens me that our time here is soon to be over!  I’m very pleased with both of their progress made and fell that all of their teachers did a fantastic job!  Thank you to all of the staff.

Thank you for providing our son with 3 excellent years of education at the start of his learning journey.  He has grown in so many ways and is now ready to move on to the next phase.  Thank you everyone!

Our child has such a positive attitude towards learning and this is all down to the wonderful team at Padnell!

Our child has loved her time at Padnell Infants.  She has had some great teachers and grown in confidence and has learnt so much.  It’s a great school!

Our child has grown during his time at Padnell.  He is a well-balanced, smart, kind child who is now bursting with confidence and excited about learning.  Thank you.

We can’t thank Padnell Infant School enough for all their help and encouragement in building our child’s self-confidence and pushing him to achieve his potential.  This is a truly fantastic school and it’s been amazing to see him “GROW” here!

Thank you for being the most wonderful school.  For being a bubble of warmth and kindness, for always being there for the children and parents.  Nurturing the giving citizens of the future.  You have instilled a passion for education in my little one and laid the most fantastic foundation for her to build on.  We love Padnell!

We are very sad that we are leaving the Infants and grateful for the time and care all of the staff at Padnell have shown to our daughter.  Thank you Padnell!

Comments from Governor Question at Parents’ Evening – October 2018

Q – Either joining our school or moving from one year to the next can be tricky for children.  What is your opinion on how the school manages this process and prepares your child for their next step in learning?

My child was ready to start in Year R because of all the Stay & Play sessions and the lunch in the Summer.

Our son has just joined Reception.  It’s been a great experience: everyone helpful, no problems at all.

All excellent, can’t complain or find fault in anything.  Lots of pre-meeting and information.  My child seemed confident and excited.

Excellent.  Our child has settled into his first school amazingly.

Really well.  Love this school!

Padnell Infants has been responsible for our daughters’ success, she adores her teachers and the transition into Year 1 was faultless.  Excellent work.

They have made the transition very easy for my son and support him, and I, in helping him to do the best he can.  They have been a great support.

Managed well, certainly no issues from our perspective.

I think the school does a great job in helping children to settle in.

I fell that the transitioning from pre-school to Year R was good for my child as the teachers visit really helped my child settle in well.

Found all the staff have been very professional and encouraging, approachable.

I am very happy with the way the school has transition days to settle the children in and ease their worries of meeting new teachers and friends.  The school is a wonderful network with a family feel.

From Parents who have moved into the area and joined our school:

I remember the day we met you and your team like it was yesterday and since then we have enjoyed being part of the Padnell family.  Your school is a great place for children to learn but also discover what type of young people they would like to be.  Your values are so wonderful and the way you include parents into the school life is lovely.  I would recommend Padnell in a heartbeat.

I would like to say thank you to you and your school for all the efforts in helping settling our daughter into your school.  She has settled in so well and absolutely loves coming to school.  That gives us as parents such confidence in your school.  You and your team have definitely helped in making that possible and means so much to us.  A special thank you to Mrs Lockwood-Peck She has made such a difference in our daughter's life.  The kindness and understanding she has shown her from the first day has contributed tremendously to her settling in.  Thank you once again for doing such a great job at your school.

Our daughter was sad to leave her old school behind but Padnell have been wonderful in helping her settle in and has made some lovely friends.

We expected our daughter moving school to be more challenging and did not expect her to adapt so well.  I would like to say thank you to you and your staff for all the efforts in helping her settle into school.  She absolutely loves coming to school.  That gives us, as parents, such confidence in your school.  You and your team have definitely helped in making that possible and means so much to us.  Thank you once again for doing such a great job.

About our School:

My wife and I have been very impressed by the school so far.  We really like the style of learning that you provide, namely looking at what interests a child and teaching through their interests, rather than imposing a "one size fits all" style.  I was also very pleased that the school encourages outside play and exploration as I think this is very important for a boy (the piles of building materials and bug farms were particularly good).  We were also very happy with the Parent Workshops which have so far proved to be very informative and useful.  All in all we feel you are doing a very good job.

Really appreciate the friendliness of the receptionists and Headteacher throughout the whole transition process and the understanding that my son was the only one from his pre-school and that Padnell wasn't our first choice.  So far, so good!

I am writing to thank you for your support since our child joined the school during the Summer term.  From first impressions we found you friendly, child focused and understanding of our child's needs.  The staff at Padnell have been professional, very friendly and flexible when working around the children.  Mrs Burgess, your ELSA has always made time for our concerns and has helped our child feel happy coming to school.